Top seven! Wow, we’re closing in on the big finish. The challenge: reinvent the tuxedo in a modern, fresh way. Christian said that the primary difference between a tuxedo and a suit is the inclusion of satin. I love that they featured Christian’s tuxedo gown that he made for Billy Porter to wear to the Oscars. The first man to wear a gown on the red carpet at the Oscars. Hell to the yes!
They felt that the perfect tailoring of a tux would be difficult to achieve in only two days, so they brought out eight eliminated designers to serve as helpmates. With the twist that it was the eliminated designers who chose the competing designer that they wanted to work with! The order was chosen by the button bag. Big surprise, Victoria was the designer left on the bottom of the pile. She was matched up with Alan - - he asked what she wanted him to do, and she said he should relax. His reaction, in the afer-the-fact commentary: “Ha ha! Victoria is definitely a solo designer. She does not work well with other people, she barely works well with herself.”
Another twist: they were given male, female, and non-binary models. A few of them chose male models, they were up for the challenge.
And look who showed up in the workroom: Sebastian, winner of season 17! Love that man. He had some great advice for the designers, also a bag full of carbs. Bless his heart. Lots of drama and talking of trash in the workroom, as usual. Do you suppose the designers sign a contract saying they’re required to supply drama and trash on every challenge?
Exhibit A: Nancy broke the buttonhole machine. Insurmountable horror! Thank you to Christian for saying, “We did not HAVE a buttonhole machine back in my day… And I did just fine.”
Guest judge: the marvelous Thom Browne! And wow, he looked super sexy in those shorts.
ON THE TOP
Geoffrey: sleek, understated. Though Nina and Brandon both thought the bow tie was a little off.
Victoria: Nina loved the mixture of powerful and sexy.
Marquise: Nina was on fire in this episode, she had so many wonderful comments. She loved that the model looked so regal, poised, and powerful. It was definitely my favorite look.
IN THE MIDDLE?
Sergio, Sergio, Sergio: Major misstep talking about how America was great in the 1950s, that was very ill-considered. And Nina rightfully pointed out the similarity to Celine Dion’s backwards tux look from the Oscars a few years ago and he feigned ignorance. Please. The judges said he was in the top but clearly he wasn’t as good as the other three.
ON THE BOTTOM
A quote from Delvin, from when his model walked down the runway: “I definitely felt like the quality of my garment is unmatched from anyone else in the competition.” Well, if by saying that you mean it’s WORSE, then yes, sweetie, you nailed it! Bad tailoring, bad design. The model looked horrified during the critique.
Brittany: bad, bad, bad, all of it bad. Each piece was badly made and looked dreadful. She knew she was a loser and had a hard time speaking during the critique. Elaine described it as a “douchey Hamptons party” look.
Nancy: I was surprised to see her on the bottom, I thought her look was very strong. Sure, it was too similar to other things she’s shown, but I liked it.
Marquise was the winner, such a wonderful “I’ll show you” moment from him. Brittany was chosen as the loser. I felt bad for her, she’s a sweetheart, but her look was really awful.
But wow! Christian used his Christian Siriano Save to keep Brittany.
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